I Believe My Son Ben Is Still Alive

Mum clings to hope on the 30th anniversary of tot’s disappearance on Kos

- Lucy Thornton

The mother of Ben Needham is clinging to the hope he is still alive.

We asked a forensic artist to create an image of how Ben would look now, 30 years after he vanished in Kos, Greece.

Looking at the image, mum Kerry said: “This is how I’ve imagined him.”

KERRY Needham has endured 30 years of heartbreaking anniversaries since her son Ben vanished, and is “anxious, depressed and unhappy” as she approaches the latest.

But she refuses to believe Ben is dead. British police think 21-month-old Ben was killed on July 24, 1991 – 30 years ago tomorrow – by a digger driver in a tragic accident at the farmhouse which Kerry’s parents were renovating on the Greek isle of Kos.

Kerry told the Mirror: “I still have that hope that South Yorkshire Police are wrong.

“And while there is no evidence to show me, I have to believe he is still alive. There’s not a single thread of evidence to say otherwise.

“We need to keep on searching for Ben.”

Kerry admits she is “struggling” with tomorrow’s sad milestone.

She said: “It’s been 30 years of heartbreak.

“Every day is painful but I think there’s just something about it being 30 years.

“I feel like I want to scream and sob for myself, for Ben, and for my family.

“I get teary but I can’t cry. I am scared if I do start crying, I just won’t stop.